Latest UMVIM News
Jacksonville, AL FUMC Takes Multi-Faceted Journey to Uganda
Jacksonville First United Methodist Church recently organized the largest and most diverse mission trip in the congregation's known history. Team leader Dr. Bruce Cunningham said, "This was the biggest and best: the largest team I have ever led, and the best of which I have ever been a part, with the most diverse activities. Under the spiritual guidance of the Holy Spirit and my pastor Rev. Dr. Steve West our motto was, 'Following the way of Christ'."
On June 26, 2024, the team embarked on a 12-day journey to Uganda, registered with United Methodist Volunteers in Mission (UMVIM). Eighteen participants with 53 pieces of checked luggage went on this life-changing adventure. Half of the team attends Jacksonville First UMC. Five relatives of church members and four other participants with connections with Africa Children's Mission (ACM), the on-site host organization, also joined the team.
Click here to read the rest on the North Alabama Conference website.
UMVIM, Southeast Jurisdiction News, July 2024: Can Mission Heal Our Division?
Executive Director Rev. Matt Lacey shares this reflection which was also shared at the 2024 Southeast Jurisdictional Conference in Lake Junaluksa in July.
teams to cuba
Since 2020, volunteer teams to Cuba have greatly decreased, while the need has increased. After a pause in travel, mission teams have resumed traveling to Cuba and the Cuban government has resumed issuing work visas. Churches in Cuba have expressed a need for more volunteers. For more information, contact Aldo Gonzalez at afgon43@gmail.com or umvim.org/cuba
updating project data
The UMVIM Jurisdictional Coordinators have been updating the US and International Project Lists. If you have a relationship with any of the projects featured on the UMVIM Project List, please encourage them to double check their listing and information. Likewise, if you know of a project which is not featured, and wishes to appeal to UMVIM teams, they can contact us at sejinfo@umvim.org
North Central Jurisdiction January-June 2024
Data is gathered from team registration and team insurance, personal conversations, emails, and social media posts. Contact Tammy to be sure your team is included!
SEJ UMVIM Stats for First Half of 2024 Available
The UMVIM, SEJ mission team statistics from Jan-June 2024 are now available. These numbers only reflect teams that purchased insurance, or registered, from the Southeast Jurisdiction UMVIM office. They do not include stats from the Annual Conference UMVIM Coordinators or charge conference reports, as those are normally unavailable until end of year.
If you believe your team is not represented here, simply contact the UMVIM SEJ office at sejinfo@umvim.org
University of Mount Union in mission
The Social Responsibility class from the University of Mount Union in the East Ohio Conference served in Dominican Republic. Here is their video story presented by their partner in Dominican Republic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPZ4NSYNKO0
Remembering Rev. Nick Elliott
Rev. Nick Elliott, former UMVIM, SEJ Director, passed away last weekend. We grieve with all the UMVIM family, and his wife Judy. Nick meant so much to so many people, and the video below is a reflection from Rev. Matt Lacey, current UMVIM, SEJ Director, about Nick’s impact.
Those wishing to give to UMVIM in Nick’s memory can go to umvim.org/nick
UMVIM, Southeast Jurisdiction News- April 2024
News from UMVIM, Southeast Jurisdiction
2023 STATISTICS FROM UMVIM, SEJ
Every year, UMVIM, SEJ shares data from the mission teams that register with the office or purchase insurance. The 2023 stats are in! If your Annual Conference knows of teams that did not share their journey with the UMVIM, SEJ office, please contact us at sejinfo@umvim.org
Click here for a more detailed look at the 2023 stats from UMVIM, SEJ
Share Your Story
UMVIM wants to hear about your mission experience and how it has impacted you, your church, and beyond! Visit umvim.org/share to upload a short video, which may be used to help inspire future teams!
NEW TEAM OPENINGS
Are you looking for a mission team to join? Check out this great opportunity to serve in Honduras, and visit umvim.org/openings for more teams looking for members!
Honduras: The Alabama Honduras Medical Educational Network requests volunteers for its June 1-8 team to teach the following subjects: gardening, swimming, photography/videography, computer science. The cost of the team is $1000 + airfare. Volunteers enjoy 7 nights by the Caribbean in comfortable accommodations with two of those nights on Roatan island. University and college students urged to apply. For more information contact Michael Franklin at ahmeninhonduras@gmail.com or visit AHMEN.org.
Indiana ERTs respond following tornadoes
Fifty years after the Tornado of 1974, the United Methodist Committee On Relief is back in Jefferson County, Indiana, showing and sharing their faith in action after another tornado. Watch the video from Rev. Greg Pimlott here.
East Ohio provides new dorm for women at Africa University
The story about the Bishop Tracy S. Malone Hall of Residence for Female Students can be read at https://eocumcnews.com/2024/02/28/bishop-tracy-s-malone-hall-of-residence-for-female-students-dedicated-on-the-campus-of-africa-university/ and at https://www.umnews.org/en/news/east-ohio-adds-dorm-to-africa-university-campus.
Iowa UMVIM team partners with Strong Missions in Costa Rica
The Nolte Alpha team recently served in Costa Rica.
“One of the ways we nurture one another during a mission is to encourage members to reach out of their comfort zones and learn new skills. Our gifts and talents are shared intentionally to help one another grow. We encourage one another to become more aware of the gifts and talents they see in others to explore those we might like to develop. Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” (1 John 3:16-18)”
Read the story here.
Discover…Mission journey to Puerto Rico
The Discover...Mission team to Puerto Rico shared some before and after experiences with East Ohio Storyboard.Several team members gathered to share before and after the mission journey. The podcast shares their comments before and after the mission journey. Listen here!
New Mission Trainings Available
Several new training opportunities, including online Team Leader Refresher trainings, have been added to the training calendar.
For more information about these, visit umvim.org/calendar
Two online Team Leader refresher trainings will take place March 9 and Sept 14, via zoom, and open for registration at the above link.
VIM Nicaragua Opportunities
Since 2011, Wayne and Theresa Jones have been working on Nicaraguan church builds and have helped complete six churches to date. They are seeking supporters and team members for various dates in Nicaragua.
Click here for more information about these projects.
Wayne Jones 228-596-5480 cwaynej1957@gmail.com
Theresa Jones 228-263-6789 theresahasselljones@gmail.com
Volunteer Team Opportunities for Cuba, Angola
The Florida Conference is seeking team members for projects in Cuba and Angola. Those interested can contact the team leaders listed below.
Angola: the Florida Conference is seeking team members for the Quéssua Methodist Mission in Angola There are a number of opportunities: from theological education to medical work, ministry with youth and women, VBS, malaria control, minor construction projects, and more!
If you are interested in joining a team to Angola or need more information, please contact me at irodriguez@flumc.org or the team leader.
July 12-26, led by Giselle Lawn, gisellelawn@gmail.com
August 1-15, led by Trish and Adam Hall, ath5789@gmail.com
August 18 - August 30, Mountain Sky Conference
September 2-16, led by Molly McEntire and Icel Rodriguez, mmcentire@flumc.org
September 16-30, led by Armando & Icel Rodriguez, irodriguez@flumc.org
October/November (exact date and team leader TBD)
Cuba: the Florida Conference is also seeking team members for various journeys to Cuba.
July 8-15, Home for the Elderly in Havana, led by Robert Pinera, rpinera@aol.com
Sept 9-16, Camp Canaan in central Cuba, led by Robert Pinera, rpinera@aol.com
Oct 10-17, Methodist Seminary in Havana, led by Robert Pinera, rpinera@aol.com
Dec 2-9, Holguin Central Church in eastern Cuba, led by Icel Rodriguez, irodriguez@flumc.org
When Paul Met Sally: Volunteers Find Love in Holston Conference Church
[Re-posted from Holston Conference website, written by Annette Spence, photo by Tim Jackson]
The first time Paul Morgan met Sally Ball, they were standing amid the dusty archives at Magnolia Avenue United Methodist Church.
Almost two years later, after showing up from separate churches to help get the 100-year-old building back on its feet, the two were married amid the Christmas decorations in Magnolia Avenue’s sanctuary on December 30, 2023.
“There was no reason to put it off,” says Paul Morgan. “Why go into the new year?”
OC Ministries makes impact in Sierra Leone
Through OC Ministries, a ministry of the Minnesota Conference, 50 Minnesota United Methodist churches contributed to an effort to build The Rev. Richard Ormsby Secondary School in Baiwalla, Sierra Leone, which opened its doors in 2019. A group recently traveled there to check in on the school and explore with faculty and staff how to continue to strengthen it.
Read more about OC Ministries via the Minnesota Conference website, or by visiting the OC Ministries webpage.
UMVIM, Southeast Juris. News, September 23
SERVING IN SUMMER AND DEALING WITH COVID
This summer saw some return to normalcy for churches serving internationally after nearly 3 years of adapting to COVID. First Church UMC in Birmingham served in Panama with Missionary Rhett Thompson, and Grace UMC in North Augusta, SC journeyed to Bolivia. However, COVID infections have seen a resurgence since the Spring.
All mission teams are encouraged to check CDC.gov or their personal physician before journeying away from home in areas where COVID transmission has increased.
Grace UMC in North Augusta, SC served in Bolivia over the summer.
First UMC Birmingham travelled to Panama to serve with Rhett Thompson
SERVING AS AN INDIVIDUAL
The Mission Volunteer program, under the direction of Una Jones at Global Ministries, exists for individual volunteers, as well as couples, to serve longer than the usualy mission team.
Those interested in the program can visit missionvolunteers.org to view the application and more about the program.
Applicants will be invited to the Mission Volunteer Training in Tampa, FL in November.
DIscover...Mission journey to Ganta Hospital
Sarah Metz was a recipient of the Directors Scholarship and served with a Discover…Mission team to Liberia in July 2023.
In may, I was presented with a surreal opportunity to travel to Liberia in Africa to participate in a medical mission trip. We arrived in Ganta, at Ganta United Methodist Hospital, to a home of welcoming arms and excited staff. As a pharmacy student, I was able to practice
hands-on clinical skills that would not be routinely done within the States, and it was rewarding to have so many wonderful mentors along the way to teach me their ways and techniques. Individuals studying pharmacy in Liberia are sparse, and the staff was beyond surprised, and thankful for me to be there. I walked into the doors of the hospital with expectations of learning more than my brain and my heart could handle, and that was beyond achieved. Although I spent time in every single unit, and every unit impacted my heart, there were three units that really impacted myself as a student.
Within the walls of the pharmacy, I learned Pharmacist Barr’s methodology behind stocking, inventory, and common medication administration in Ganta. He was also beyond gracious enough to teach me the administrative side of pharmacy, which I did not even have experience in within the States. Pharmacist Barr’s techniques proved his excellence as a pharmacist, and I was very impressed with the love he pours into his unit.
My participation in the emergency department was overwhelming. After not having much hands-on clinical experience, I was guided in the right directions by Nurse Grace. The staff of the ER were knowledgeable about common disease states in the country, and were more than willing to explain methods of treatment within the hospital. Although there were plenty of differences in care between the States and Liberia, the staff in the ER are very willing to educate their patients, and even visitors like myself, in the importance of adequate healthcare.
In the OB GYN/Labor and Delivery units, I met too many beautiful babies to count. I admire each staff member and their love for their patients and their babies. The nurses took care of each patient as their own children and family.
I found it so easy to connect with these patients and provide care solely because of our
common relationship with Christ. Even in the States, it is difficult to develop a stable patient-provider relationship. Ganta United Methodist Hospital taught me more about your healthcare than a classroom could ever provide, from language barriers, health literacy, fear of new people, and differences in access to care. Everyone was extremely accepting of advice from me, as well as accepting my ways of patient-care within the States. The leader of our team, Samuel Quarshie, was family to our team. Sam put us as his priority, not only as his job for one week while we were there, but he connected with each one of us spiritually and emotionally. Sam showed that the Lord is truly upon us, and He speaks through Samuel. I have never felt more love from other friends who are not considered to be family than I did from Sam. I will forever be thankful for my relationship that I was able to build with him over our ten day trip.
They always say you’ll never truly understand, and that couldn’t be more correct. Even after such heartfelt experiences, I am still at a loss for words to describe my trip. The best that I can come up with is “love”. The love that Ganta has for the Lord is inspiring. The love that Ganta has for their people is unimaginable. The love of your community is untouched. The love given within your care is unconditional.
Even surrounded with new people with different things to offer in aspects of patient care, the families and staff in Ganta United Methodist Hospital still showed unconditional support and love. From our team including an emergency room nurse, a medical student, a biomedical technician, and myself, a pharmacy student, the staff loved each of us as their own. I want to show thanks to our remarkable team on this trip. We all proved our love for Liberia, especially Ganta. We provided our expertise in many different aspects. We grew in ourselves, and it was evident at the end of the trip. Every single one of us proved to be a leader.
I want to give my sincere thanks to each and every one of my supporters from the very beginning of my journey. You all were the reason that I could learn in this new environment. I was overwhelmed with guidance, advice, and financial support from my home church, Gay Street United Methodist Church in Mount Vernon, OH), as well as scholarships from UMVIM. Either with kind words, encouragement, prayers, or financially, you all made this trip possible.
I am proud of you, Ganta. I am proud of the family I have overseas. I am proud of myself and my confidence within your walls. And I am proud of every supporter that helped me along the way. As I said before I boarded the plane: “It isn’t a goodbye, because I’ll be back to Ganta soon”.
McCurdy Ministries is seeking Executive and Development Director
McCurdy Ministries in Espanola, NM, has two job openings: Development Director and the Executive Director. Job description link are below. Please note that the deadline for the Dev. Dir. position is June 30.
See descriptions below for contact information.